Something Came Up
by Dolphingirl32173
Summary: After the death of Vicki, Damon realizes that Elena is the doppelganger he truly wants, and devises a plan to subtly win her away from Stefan. Will Elena figure out what he's up to before it's too late? And how will Stefan deal with how Elena is spending her free time? Damon/Elena
1. The Plan

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: the title for this popped in my head a split-second before a nearly full plotline. I hope everyone enjoys what my mind gave me nearly instantaneously. Now to just get it all down and worded properly.

_**CREDIT**_  
Credit goes to my outstanding beta for his remarkable patience with the extended dry spell my muse went through. I'm hoping this will be ample reward for all that patience, Cameron!

_**DISCLAIMER**_  
_Vampire Diaries_ and the cast belong to L.J. Smith. Mystic Falls and the setting belongs to the CW. Any references to music, movies, TV shows, books, TV stations, etc, are most likely references to things found in the _real_ world and as such belong to their respective copyright holders. If I use something that _I_ made up personally or was suggested to me by my beta or a reviewer, I will put a section like the above and say what belongs to who before the chapter it appears in. There's you're disclaimer. You're not getting another.

_**ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, PLEASE READ!**_  
This fanfic takes place between 1x07 _"Haunted"_ and 1x08 _"162 Candles"_. So post dead Vicki and pre dead Lexi. Lexi does _not_ die in this universe, by the way. Damon has his own plans for getting the secret council to settle down that do not involve Lexi.

_**WARNINGS**_  
Other than the alternate universe stuff listed above, rated with a big fat _**M**_ for thoroughly mature content in the future. Alternating Damon and Elena viewpoints. Starts with Damon's view.

_**SUMMARY**_  
After the death of Vicki, Damon realizes that Elena is the doppelganger he truly wants, and devises a plan to subtly win her away from Stefan. Will Elena figure out what he's up to before it's too late? And how will Stefan deal with how Elena is spending her free time? _**Damon/Elena**_

* * *

Chapter 1  
The Plan

I sip at my glass of blood as Elena's words from two nights ago race circles around my mind as well as every reaction I've had towards the human since our _true_ first meeting.

"_It matters and you know it!"_

I have to agree that she's right in that there _is_ something that has come to matter to me. Something that matters even _more_ than the goal I've had for nearly a century and a half now. And that something is the human who bears a remarkable resemblance to my sire. Every time I get within inches of her, sparks of electricity fly between us, and I know _damn_ well she feels it to. But when I touch her, even if it's just through her _clothes…_ well, the sparks of electricity turn to raging flames consisting of the desire to get even _closer._ Again, I know damn well she feels _that_ as well. She's always been _just_ as reluctant as I am about pulling away from each other.

Two nights ago, I was filled with raging bloodlust to sate the Craving and Elena had been covered in her own blood when I showed up. What _should_ have been going on within me was a raging war to keep from sinking my fangs into her to drain her dry. What _was_ going on within me was a far different war, the war to keep from pulling her into my arms and showing her everything she's been missing out on while dating my brother. She would _not_ have appreciated that in the least, though she would have enjoyed it just as much as I would have.

She fights this bond that has somehow kicked up between us. Her head has an _entirely_ different opinion of me than her heart does. I can tell _that_ much by what I've read in her journal. She may claim to hate me. But every journal entry she has written since my little game with her the first time she came to the boarding house was more about me than everything else combined, even on the days I didn't make a blip on her radar.

And as much as I have tried to fight it, I'm finding that our bond is something that I can't just shove on the back burner. It's grown too damn powerful and it's still growing stronger by the day, whether I let her see me that day or not. I have _never_ had a bond like this with _anyone_ in my life, not even my brother before Katherine entered our lives.

I sigh when my brother walks in the front door. "What are you doing here, Damon?" he asks. "Don't you have some diabolical plan or other to work on?"

I smirk, keeping my back to him as I stare into the flames. "Maybe I'm just considering my options of what to do next," I reply, the most honest I've been with him in more than a century. "After all, every diabolical plan can meet a stumbling block even the maker doesn't expect. Mine has and I'm considering what I should do about it."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Stefan demands.

"Stefan, you're my _little_ brother. You know _damn_ well I don't have to explain _anything_ to you that I don't want to. And I don't want to reveal my hand to anyone right now. So run along. I'm sure you have homework or something to do. After all, you're in high school. _Again._ Just don't forget what happened the _last_ twelve times you attended high school."

I proceed to ignore him completely. I take another sip from my glass of blood. I vaguely make out that he's saying something but since I'm ignoring him completely, I only make out the hum of his voice. When he _finally_ gets the hint that I'm ignoring him, he leaves the living room. Just as I'm about to fall back into my thoughts, a _very_ familiar car engine pulls into the boarding house driveway. I suppose I _should_ have paid at least a _little_ attention to baby bro. He was probably making threats about what he'll do to me if I tried something against Elena when she showed up.

No way I'm letting _him_ know that I could _never_ bring myself to do anything to _hurt_ her physically. I decide to take a seat in my favorite chair and wait for her to come waltzing in like she owns the place. Which she does _right_ on cue, not even bothering to knock. "Elena, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I ask with a smirk.

Rather than ignoring me and heading to the library where Stefan is, she comes straight for me. The scowl on her face tells me that this is _not_ a pleasure visit. _"What_ did you say when you compelled my brother the other night?" she demands.

I take a sip of my blood. I had been wondering when she'd get up the nerve to confront me about that. "I did what you asked of me, Elena. I took away his pain," I tell her.

"That shouldn't … he is …," she stammers, aggravation causing her train of thought to stumble rather than flow smoothly. She sighs angrily, running a hand through her hair. She glares at me. "He has been acting _very_ differently since you messed with his mind, Damon," she snaps. "I want to know _what_ your compulsion on him was, _exactly."_

No way in _hell_ I'm giving her _that._ Not with _Stefan_ in the house oh-so-obviously listening in. I frown at her. "You wanted his pain to be taken away, Elena," I remind her. "You wanted him to forget that night happened. I _did_ that. If he's acting differently now, well, did you ever stop to think what the _side-effects_ of taking his pain away would be?"

"Side-effects?" she asks in confusion.

"Newton's third law of motion applies to more than just _physical_ actions and _physical_ motion. 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.' Every action we take, whether it's physical or not, puts into motion a _reaction_ to that action. I acted to take away Jeremy's pain through compulsion. He is now exhibiting the reaction to that."

She licks her lips as she thinks about what I told her and my eyes fall to her perfect mouth. Everything in me is demanding that I pull her in my arms and kiss her senseless. But I _can't._ For one, she's infatuated with my brother and he just so happens to be right down the hall. That's when my new diabolical plan hatches: _Elena Gilbert_ will be _mine._ I have never had the reactions I have to her with anyone else, not even Katherine. And I know just what to do to win her into my arms.

"You know, St. Stefan's right down the hall in the library," I tell her, though I would rather eat my favorite jacket than watch her walk down there. She nods but hesitates. "Whatever you want to say, you can just spit it out."

She purses her lips briefly before speaking. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, Damon," she says.

"No problem. Now you should get moving. Your darling boyfriend is grinding his teeth over how cozy we seem to be getting," I tell her, sipping at my blood. It literally pains me to watch her walk down the hall towards the library but I know damn well she'll soon be mine. I won't let this one slip through my fingers.


	2. The First Time I Said It

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: here's chapter 2. I hope everyone enjoys. This chapter is told primarily from Elena's view.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_zikae218:_ oh, Damon's going to get the girl. And he's going to be _extremely_ sneaky about it.

_PattyFleur87:_ yes, I am _finally_ back. And you _still_ make me blush when you say you are addicted to my stories. And I'm _sure_ you are going to love how Damon gets the girl!

_nallemorin:_ so glad you enjoyed. Here's the update.

_Candy Momo:_ I'm glad you like the thought of where this is heading. Here's the next chapter.

_jairem:_ Damon thought of Jeremy because he was more than a little worried what would happen to Elena if anything happened to Jeremy.

_mary-bash-mash:_ thank you! Here's the update.

* * *

Chapter 2  
The First Time I Said It

I sigh as my body instinctively relaxes before I force myself to tense. I don't even have to _look_ to know who had just sat down on the stool next to me at the bar in The Grill. "What do you want, Damon?" I demand. Sure, I'm grateful his compulsion on my brother prevented Jeremy from doing anything stupid out of grief. Doesn't mean I like the vampire any more than I did before he offered his services for the act.

He chuckles. "I came to get a drink and find _you_ sitting on my favorite stool. I'm not gonna cause a scene just to get my favorite seat in the bar, particularly not when _you're_ the one sitting there," he replies.

I look up from my burger and fries to frown at him. "You have plenty of alcohol in the boarding house, why do you come _here_ for a drink?" I ask irritably.

He shrugs as the bartender slides a whiskey glass filled nearly to the brim with bourbon across the bar to him. Rather than answering, he sips at his bourbon. I sigh and turn my attention back to my meal. When I'm finished, I find that I don't really want to move. And that's because of who is sitting next to me. "You know, you were right the other night," he says softly.

I turn to him in surprise. There's no way I could not understand what he's talking about. But I have to make _sure._ "What do you mean?" I ask.

He's staring at his bourbon as if the whiskey holds all the answers in the universe. "There is something that matters to me," he admits, his voice still soft.

I frown. "And that is?" I ask.

He raises his eyes and the look in them makes me _really_ glad I'm sitting down because my legs have just turned to Jell-O. "Maybe one day I'll tell you," he says. "This is a very personal matter and I don't discuss personal issues with just _anyone._ I mean, we aren't even friends, are we?" he asks. I shake my head. "We could _try_ to be, though." I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. He shrugs. "I'll tell you this much: I haven't had anyone _I_ would call a friend in a _very_ long time."

I frown. "And you want _me_ to be a friend?" I ask dubiously.

"I said we could _try_ to be. Whether we succeed or not is something else altogether," he says, his lips curved in that familiar smirk that makes me want to both slap him _and_ kiss him. "I've realized that since I came back to town this time, my priorities seem to have shifted on me without my realizing it until we were standing in the bus lot the other night and you were pointing out that something _has_ come to matter to me."

"I don't know if I can trust you," I say softly.

He shrugs. "You trusted me with your brother," he points out. "I know enough about you to know that it's hell for you to trust _anyone_ with your family. And yet you trusted me with your brother."

I bite my lip nervously as I realize he's right. I sigh. "What is it you want from me?" I ask him.

"Let's just start off with seeing if we _can_ be friends," he says smoothly. "I'll tell you this much: I have _never_ broken my word when I gave it in my very long life. I will give you my word here and now that from this moment forward, I will do _nothing_ to harm someone you care about, much less harm _you._ In fact, I'll go so far as to do my damnedest to protect you and your loved ones. All I'm asking in return is a chance to become friends with you. I give you my word, if we succeed at becoming friends, you will be my first friend since before I turned. Katherine stole my last one from me and turned us against each other. This is the first time I've felt like trying to take such a leap of faith in all the years since."

I gnaw on my lip while I contemplate what he is saying. Finally I sigh. I can't very well refuse him a chance at gaining a friend. I meet his eyes. "I'll try to be your friend," I tell him. Something flashes in his eyes but it's gone too fast for me to determine what it is. "Don't make me regret this, Damon."

He tucks a cool finger under my chin, his expression the most serious I have ever seen it. "Don't make _me_ regret placing my trust in you, Elena. I haven't trusted anyone since the whole Katherine ordeal. It took me a good deal of thinking and debating with myself before I decided I could handle taking the risk with you. I don't give very many second chances and only my brother has ever received further chances than that because he _is_ my brother." Then the seriousness is gone, replaced by wicked good humor. The cool finger is gone from my chin and I find myself wishing it were still there. "Now, since we're trying to be friends, how about a game of pool?"

"You'll cheat," I tell him, wrinkling my nose.

"No I won't," he retorts. "I'll make you a bet."

"What sort of bet?" I ask.

"I bet that I can beat you two out of three games of pool with just the skills of the average person rather than using my abilities. If I win, I get to take you dancing tomorrow after you get out of school."

"And if _I_ win?" I ask.

"If _you_ win, I'll tell you a secret about me that not even _Stefan_ knows. I'll also let you choose what we do tomorrow after you get out of school. Do we have a deal?" he asks, holding out his hand.

I think about it. Do I _really_ want to risk having to go dancing with Damon tomorrow? But the thought of learning something about Damon that not even _Stefan_ knows about his brother, well, that's too good to pass up. "Fine," I say, shaking his hand. "No special abilities. You gave me your word."

"Of course I did, and I'm not going to break it. Now let's go grab a pool table before the afternoon rush fills the place up," he says, sliding off his stool.

I get off my stool and follow him to the pool tables. It isn't long before he has me laughing my ass off at his nearly limitless supply of jokes. I keep a firm eye on him throughout our game and see that he _is_ giving me his best game _and_ that his best game is being done with strictly human skill. I actually beat him the first game. "You _let_ me win," I accuse as he fetches the balls from the pockets to reset the rack.

"No, I didn't," he assures me, his eyes twinkling wickedly. "You're a good pool player, Elena. As I promised, I'm keeping my special abilities out of this. And I can assure you that you're _not_ going to win the next two games."

"We'll just have to find out if that's true or not," I retort.

It's true he does beat me during our second game and he is _very_ close to beating me our third game when I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket, signaling I had gotten a text. I had been leaning over to line up my shot. I groan but stand up and reach in my back pocket to pull out my phone. The litany of curses that fall from my lips at seeing that I have sixty-two voicemails _and_ a text from Stefan is strong enough to send Damon's eyebrows racing for his hairline. "I _completely_ forgot that I promised Stefan I'd meet him at the library," I tell Damon. I glance at my watch and grimace. "Library's closed now," I sigh. "Let me call him and apologize then we can finish our game." I search Stefan's name on contacts and hit send before putting my phone to my ear.

It only takes six rings this time for Stefan to pick up. _"Elena?"_ he asks.

"Hey, Stefan. I'm _so_ sorry about tonight," I tell him.

"_Where were you?"_

Yeah, so _not_ going to tell him I was hanging with his brother these past couple hours he was supposed to be tutoring me. That will send _all_ the wrong signals. "Something came up and I _completely_ lost track of time," I say. "Anyways, I'm not gonna be able to make it tonight."

"_Well, there's always tomorrow afternoon,"_ he says brightly.

I wince. "Actually, I already have plans for tomorrow," nothing concrete, mind you, but still there, "but maybe Wednesday." It's Monday now.

"_Okay, we'll try for Wednesday,"_ he says hesitantly. _"Do you mind if I ask what you plan on doing tomorrow?"_

Seriously, Stefan, I can't _handle_ your jealous fits. It was bad enough when you got jealous of what little time I spent with Damon when I didn't even _like_ him. Now that I've agreed to _try_ to be friends with him, that jealousy is going to become vicious. "Just hanging with a friend."

"_Bonnie? Or Caroline?"_ he asks curiously.

I frown. "Neither. They aren't my _only_ friends, just my _best_ friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of something when your text reminded me that I had completely lost track of time. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodnight, Stefan."

"_Goodnight, Elena."_

I hang up. I turn an exasperated smile on Damon. "Sorry about that," I tell him. "I hope you don't mind, but I don't want him finding out that I skipped our tutoring session because I got distracted while hanging out with you."

"I understand completely," he assures me, his eyes twinkling merrily. "You don't want to suffer through his jealousy. I'll keep my lips zipped about tonight."

"Thank you," I say gratefully.

"Anyways, it was your turn. You're going to have to pull off some power plays to win _this_ game," he reminds me.

"Game's not over _yet,_ hotshot," I tell him, bending down to line up my shot. In the end, Damon _does_ win the game, though I _do_ come from behind to make it damn close, so close as to see who could sink the eight ball first. So our plans for tomorrow are set in stone: dancing. Damon then walks me out to my SUV like the perfect gentleman. "I have to admit, I had a _lot_ of fun tonight," I tell him with a warm smile. "More fun than I've had in a _really_ long time. Thanks, Damon."

He winks at me. "Perhaps we can make our relationship a positive one after all," he says.

Something about the twinkle in his eyes and the way he curls his voice around the words 'our relationship' puts me on edge. If there's anything I have learned about Damon it's this: he _never_ does something without a _damn_ good reason for it. I should have seen earlier that there has to be a reason for his decision to come up to me today and give voice to what I now realize was a _perfectly_ rehearsed speech designed _specifically_ to get me to agree to try being friends with him.

"What are you trying to pull, Damon?" I ask. "If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you don't do something without having an ulterior motive."

He doesn't even _pretend_ to be hurt by my accusation. "You gave your word to try to be friends with me, Elena," he says softly, seriously. "Are you going to go back on it? Because if you do, you will be _no_ better than anyone else that's ever given their word to me. And that includes _her."_

No need for him to name-names when there is only _one_ female in the entire history of the planet he could be referring to: Katherine Pierce, his sire and first love. "I'm not Katherine," I tell him softly, earnestly. "I already told you that. I'll keep my word. And I'll hold my end of our bet tonight and let you take me dancing tomorrow. But, as I said earlier, don't make me regret this attempt to be your friend."

"You won't regret it," he vows. "Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight, Damon," I reply.

He steps back, giving me space to unlock my SUV and climb in. I wave at him and he waves back. He watches me as I pull out of the parking lot of The Grill. I glance in my rearview as I reach the stoplight at the corner and he's _still_ watching me.

An hour later finds me in my bed with my journal in my lap. I've had a bowl of soup for dinner and did my nightly routine. Now I have to write this evening down. I write down the date and begin my journal entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_My thoughts have been consumed with Damon since the night Vicki died. But it was completely __impossible__ to keep him off my mind today. And then he decided to sit down right next to me at The Grill. He made the comment that I had chosen his favorite stool at the bar and he wasn't going to make a scene to get me to move._

_I decided to ignore him and finish my burger and fries. But even after I had finished my meal, I couldn't find it in myself to move away from him. Then he spoke, saying that I was right the other night when I said that something mattered to him. He hinted that whatever has come to matter to him has completely derailed him from whatever his original reason for coming to town this time was. I tried to find out what that was but he pointed out that we're not even friends and that it was a very personal issue. Just as I was feeling angry that he would bring something like that up but not tell me, he said that we __might__ be able to be friends._

_I was hesitant at first. I mean, how can I trust him after all he's done? But then he pointed out that I trusted him with Jeremy. It was very unnerving to realize that he was right. I don't even trust __Stefan__ with my brother. If Stefan had been able to put the compulsion on Jeremy, I would have insisted on being in the same room as he did it. But I didn't even __think__ about being there when Damon placed his compulsion on Jeremy._

_So I agreed to try to be his friend. He made me a bet based on the outcome of three games of pool. The bet was that if he won two out of three games, he gets to take me dancing tomorrow after school. If __I__ won, I got to learn a secret about him that not even Stefan knows and I got to choose what we do tomorrow after school. The possibility of learning something about Damon that not even his own brother knows was too much of a temptation to pass up. I agreed, __completely__ forgetting that I was supposed to meet Stefan at the library so he could tutor me in history. I won our first game, he won the second. He was way ahead of me in the third when I got a text from Stefan. I hadn't __heard__ my phone ringing and when I looked at it, I saw that Stefan had left me sixty-two voicemails and a text. Does Stefan have a thing for voicemail or something? Anyways, I called him and even though he was obviously worried about my not showing up, it still took six rings for him to answer. I apologized for not showing up. I told him "something came up". That's the first time I said that to him. But I have a funny feeling I will say it to him many, __many__ more times and that "something" will always be Damon._

_Well, after I got off the phone with Stefan, having given vague answers as to whom I will be hanging out with tomorrow, I returned to my game with Damon. I came from behind and the game was a damn close match, so close it came down to who could sink the eight ball first. Damon won, which set our plans for tomorrow as dancing._

_It was only after Damon had walked me to my car and was saying that perhaps our relationship could be a positive one that I remembered that he never does anything without having an ulterior motive. It was the strange look in his eyes and the way his voice just curled around the words "our relationship" that set me on edge. I asked what he's up to; he didn't even pretend to be hurt. But he didn't answer my question. He just reminded me that I had given him my word that I would try to be friends with him. He told me that if I went back on it, I was no better than anyone else who had given him their word, and he made sure to make it clear that Katherine was also on that list. I told him that I would hold true to my word. I also told him that I would hold up my end of the bet we made and let him take me dancing tomorrow. I also told him that he better not make me regret this. He told me that I won't in such a way that I am damn sure he was making it a vow. Then he wished me goodnight and backed up so I could get in my car._

_He watched me drive off. I even looked in the rearview at the stoplight and he was still watching me. Something about the way he was acting tonight has me on high alert. What is he up to? Why is he suddenly so intent on becoming my friend? There has to be something in it for him. Something more than just having a friend for the first time since Katherine put the brothers at each other's throats. But for the life of me, I can't figure it out. Numerous times tonight I've caught a strange look in his eyes that sent butterflies spiraling in my stomach. I have never seen such an intense look in someone's eyes when they looked at me. It made my knees go weak and my heart start hammering in my chest. Every time I saw that look, I swear my eyes got wills of their own cause they immediately went to his lips. But I can't do that. I can't get between the brothers like Katherine had. What is up with that look? What does it mean?_

_Elena_


	3. Dancing, Talking, Bonding

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: here's chapter three. I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this so much. This chapter starts with Elena's view but will have some of Damon's view as well.

_**NOTICE**_  
As I said in the latest chapter of Karaoke **(Chapter 13)**, I am currently without the services of my beloved beta due to his laptop screen being broken. So please forgive any errors you come across. I don't know when I will get him back. If you are willing to work with me as a temporary beta until he can replace his laptop, send me a PM and I'll be sure to get back to you. Please remember, this will be on a temporary basis only as of this moment.

_**CREDIT**_  
The lyrics that appear in this chapter come from Elvis Presley's song _"Burning Love"._ No, I don't care when he actually _came out_ with the song, so don't go saying it wasn't released until year such-and-such. Don't care. Now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_JMHUW:_ unfortunately, I'm the youngest of my sisters and me. I wish I was in Damon's and Elena's position of being an older sibling simply so I could "rightfully" poke my nose into my younger sibling's business.

Dina: I know it seems like I forget about my other stories but I can assure you that is not true. I work on all my TVD stories as my muse permits. If I don't have any inspiration, I can't write because it would be so horrible I'd be ashamed of myself. I plan on eventually finishing all my TVD stories.

_Candy Momo:_ yep, Elena is _so_ not up to handling Stefan's jealousy when it comes to any time she spends with Damon.

_nallemorin:_ oh, Damon's going to be finding out Elena's take on things quite a bit by reading her diary. Here's the next chapter.

_mary-bash-mash:_ you'll have to wait and see to find out how Elena and Damon get together. And I plan on finishing all my TVD fanfics as the muse inspires me. Can't write where there's no muse as it would come out crappy and I would be so ashamed of myself.

_jairem:_ we already know from the show that Stefan is a _huge_ fan of voicemail. It's only reasonable for him to leave a bunch of them on Elena's phone when she leaves him hanging. As for why Elena sticks around, she really has no idea as to that reason.

_kfulmer7:_ in reference to your review on chapter one, yeah, it was a shame that Stefan had to be home in that chapter. As for your review of chapter two, Elena is going to consistently be forgetting to meet Stefan when she sets up a kind of get-together with him in favor of Damon's irresistible company. Hence the title. And yes, Elena has an awesome reaction to Damon. As for the comment about dancing being more intense, you can bet every penny to your name on it and win big time.

Guest of Chapter 2: I wish you had left me with a name. It feels rude to be calling someone "guest". Glad you have enjoyed the story so far. Here's the next chapter.

_TVDLvr:_ this story's not going to follow cannon very far. I guess I should have made it a little more clear, but in Chapter 1, Damon made the decision to give up on 'freeing' Katherine in favor of making Elena _his._ There will be no grave-robbing. As for your other question, you'll see as the story progresses.

* * *

Chapter 3  
Dancing, Talking, Bonding

I stare at the text on my phone's screen with mingled excitement and dread.

_I left a couple of gifts for you on your bed. I want you to wear them tonight when we go dancing. I think my gifts are better for where we're going than most of the things you own. – D_

The first thought to cross my mind is 'How did Damon get my number?' But that's irrelevant. The next thought is a little more on target: 'Dear God, he better not make me regret this.' And the third thought is: 'What the _fuck_ is he up to?'

Then the world returns. "Elena? Is something wrong?" Stefan asks, touching my arm.

"Everything's fine," I say with a small smile, instinctively pulling my arm from him. "Just got an unusual text from a friend. I'm not sure how to take it is all." He opens his mouth in what is an oh-so-obvious attempt to find out more. "It's personal." His mouth closes with a _nearly_ audible _snap._ That's one big difference between Damon and Stefan. Stefan would _never_ ask a question about something 'personal' no matter _how_ curious he is. Damon would be pestering me nonstop until I finally revealed at least part of it even if he could care less about the information.

I don't know _why_ my instincts are so repulsed by Stefan and so attracted to Damon. What on Earth is _wrong_ with me? All the obvious signs point to Stefan being even more amazing than Prince Charming while Damon is just the Devil in Disguise. But then, my instincts don't look at the _obvious_ signs.

I've always been a realist. No light without dark and vice versa. The brighter the light, the more sinister the shadows it's trying to hide. The blacker the dark, the easier to see the light in it. I know the brothers have a lot more things they are hiding from me, things that my instincts say are even _more_ sinister than the mere fact that they are vampires. I've only ignored my instincts _once_ in my life and my parents paid the price for it with their lives.

Stefan is trying his damnedest to pull off the whole knight in such sparkling white armor that it's blinding. But my instincts warn me that whatever is under his armor is more horrifying than anything Damon's ever done. And Damon does his damnedest to be a sexy devil but I just _know_ that there's an amazing and pure man hiding behind the devilish façade.

I sigh and shake my head free of my thoughts. "Anyways," I say. "I did promise a friend that I'd hang out with them this afternoon. I need to get home so I can get ready for what we plan on doing."

"What are you doing this afternoon?" he asks. Those are the words that come out of his mouth. But his _tone_ asks 'who are you going to be spending the afternoon with?'.

"Stefan," I say, a clear warning in my voice. "That's between my friend and me. I don't ask you about what goes on when you and Bonnie or Caroline immediately shut up when I get near. I don't say a _word_ when I see all those girls lining up to talk to you. You don't need to be so blatantly jealous about me. I am _just_ spending the afternoon with a friend. There's nothing more to it. And there's nothing _less_ becoming than jealousy over nothing. I trust you enough to believe that you won't be unfaithful. I'd like a little trust in return on the same belief."

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "I guess jealousy issues are a leftover from what happened back then. I do trust you, Elena. I'll try harder to control my jealousy."

But my instincts tell me that there's a piece of the puzzle I'm missing, a piece of the puzzle that will make it perfectly clear why he's having so much trouble controlling his jealousy. It doesn't help that my instincts also tell me that puzzle piece I'm missing has to do with Katherine. I fake a smile. "I'm not Katherine," I tell him.

"I know," he reassures me.

But the reassurance feels automatic rather than sincere. I have to leave, now. "Well, I should get going," I tell him. "See you tomorrow, Stefan."

"See you tomorrow, Elena," he replies.

I make my way to my car. I glance over my shoulder once I reach it but Stefan's already gone. I can't help but compare that to how Damon watched me until I turned off the main road through town. And Stefan comes up seriously lacking. Not a comfortable feeling at all.

I shake my head and unlock the door to my car. I then climb in and buckle up before starting the engine. I take a slow, deep breath to try to steady myself. It only marginally helps. After all, there's this magnetism between Damon and I when we're _not_ touching. When he actually _touches_ me, well, that magnetism turns to explosive fireballs and the need to get even _closer._ And I don't even _try_ to fool myself into thinking he doesn't notice it. And I can't even begin to consider that he'd let this be an innocent night of platonic dancing. No, he's going to use my agreement to dance with him to pull _all_ the stops.

But when I walk into my room to see the outfit he had gotten me, I realize that maybe, just _maybe,_ I had figured him wrong. A fifties-style black satin halter-neck dress with a red velvet belt sewn around the waist is not what _I'd_ wear for the kind of full body grind dancing I was picturing. Maybe he knows me better than I thought. I look in the shoe box to see a pair of black strappy low-heels. And there's also another box, this one actually wrapped up in gift paper. I frown before carefully unwrapping it and lifting the lid. I gasp in surprise to see a sterling silver hairpin with a red velvet carnation attached to it.

I decide that I'll trust that Damon knows what he's doing. I take my new outfit to the bathroom I share with Jeremy and lock both doors before getting dressed. I carefully wash off the makeup I wore today before applying strawberry-flavored lip gloss and a light coat of silver eye shadow. I then carefully pin my hair behind my left ear with the hairpin Damon gave me. I examine my reflection and smile at what I see. Sure, I may look vaguely like a fifties-style dark princess, but I think the look works for me. I contemplate curling my hair but my instincts _scream_ for me not to. I wonder why? But I decide to listen to my instincts. I unlock the bathroom doors before heading back to my room. I grab the perfume Damon once complimented and put a dab on each wrist and on either side of my neck.

I sigh as the doorbell rings. I grab my purse and quickly make my way downstairs to answer the door. "You never come to the front door, much less ring the doorbell," I tell Damon dryly.

He shrugs. "I figured I'd try the whole 'normal' routine just this once," he replies, his eyes eating me up. "Ready to go?" he asks.

"Let me leave a note for Jenna. She's gonna freak when she gets home and finds I'm not here if I don't," I reply.

I quickly move to the kitchen to pull the magnetic notepad off the fridge and grab a pen from the coffee cup on the counter next to it. I quickly leave a note telling Jenna that I'm going to be hanging out with a friend this afternoon and evening and that I'll probably have dinner while I'm out. I then return the notepad and pen to their appropriate places before I return to the front door. I briefly examine his outfit and realize that it's probably something he _had_ worn in the fifties. 'Why the _hell_ are we wearing fifties-style clothing?' I think. But I don't ask. I just step out onto the front porch and lock the door behind me.

Damon places a hand lightly at the small of my back to guide me to his car though I can most assuredly make it there on my own, thank you. But the raging fire that spreads within me whenever he touches me keeps my mouth _firmly_ shut on saying so. Somehow, I just _know_ that I'm not the only one to feel these sensations when we're around each other. I wonder why I have these sensations with _Damon_ and _not_ Stefan? I half-expect Damon to pull off some crazy move like lift me over the passenger door of the Camaro. But he doesn't. He politely opens the door for me and I slide into his car. Every since I laid eyes on it, I have been _plagued_ by thoughts of being in Damon's car with him as we go on countless road trips. Crazy, I know. I've always been a fan of classic cars, though, particularly the convertibles. Knowing that Damon drives one regularly drives me crazy with jealousy. Not that I'll ever tell _him_ that.

When Damon pulls out of my drive, he speaks. "I'm sure you're wondering where we're going," he says.

"I noticed that we're dressed for the fifties," I reply dryly. "You going to spill on the reason for that?"

"There's a club in the next town," he replies, glancing at me long enough to wink one gorgeous blue eye before turning his gaze back to the road ahead of us. "It's a themed club, dedicated to the fifties, a different dance-style each night. I figured you wouldn't mind a bit of swing dancing. That's what tonight is dedicated to."

"I've never been swing dancing," I say.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll pick up on it fast. We'll watch the dancers for a song or two so you can see what it is like," he says.

"In the note I left, I told Jenna that I'd probably be having dinner while I'm out with a friend," I tell him.

"You didn't tell her you'd be with me?" he asks, obviously amused.

"Word would have gotten back to Stefan and I _seriously_ can't deal with his jealousy," I sigh, looking out my window as Damon pulls onto the highway. "I pointed out to him this afternoon that his jealous fits are getting highly annoying and _fast._ But then he said his jealousy issues go back to 'back when'. I was not pleased that he'd carry over jealousy from the whole Katherine fiasco into our relationship. I mean, I'm _not_ Katherine."

"Indeed you are _not,"_ he says fiercely and I can _hear_ how heartfelt his sincerity is.

"I just … Damon, I get this funny feeling you two are still hiding some big things from me," I say softly, turning towards him in time to see his jaw clench reflexively. "I really need the honest truth so I can protect the people who are important to me."

He glances at me. "Elena, most of the secrets are not mine to tell," he says cryptically, turn his eyes back to the road and flicking on the blinker to signal we're getting off at the next exit. "Besides, the one who _should_ be sharing all is your boyfriend." I can _hear_ just how jealous he is when he says 'boyfriend'. "I can tell you now, if _I_ was in that role, I wouldn't be hiding anything from you. _Particularly_ not the things _he's_ hiding from you."

"What do you mean?" I ask as he turns off the exit.

"As I said, Elena, not my secrets to tell nor my place," he says. "I can assure you that St. Stefan doesn't think you're able to handle what he's hiding, which is why he hasn't told you. I _know_ you can handle it, but he won't listen. I keep telling him that the longer he keeps it from you, the nastier things will be when you _do_ find out. In my mind it's not _if_ you'll find out, it's just _when."_

"And you're not going to tell me? I thought you _loved_ ratting out your brother," I retort.

"Oh, I do. But that's only when I know the explosions that come from _me_ sharing what he's trying to hide are going to be bigger than the ones that will come anyways. As I said, things are going to be pretty damn nasty when you uncover the truth. Helpful hint: try slipping over to the boarding house one day and take a little look around Stefan's room while he's out. You'll uncover _one_ of the secret's he's keeping from you. Ever wonder why your darling boyfriend does his damnedest to keep you on the first floor of the boarding house?"

"Actually, yeah, I do," I admit reluctantly. "I mean, what would be the big deal if I went in his room? So what if it's messy? Caroline and Jeremy both have messy rooms and I don't hesitate going into _their_ rooms to hang out with them."

"That's what he told you? That it's _messy?"_ Damon chokes out. It's obvious that he's trying _very_ hard not to erupt into gales of laughter.

"It's not?" I ask curiously.

He takes a deep breath, turning into a parking lot. The deep breath, though unnecessary, obviously helps him calm down. "Oh, it's mayhem in there, all right. But that's not the _real_ reason he doesn't want you to be in his room," he says, parking his car. "Now, enough talk about my brother. We're at the club. This afternoon is about you, me, and dancing. My brother has _no_ place in it. Okay?" he asks, turning an extremely serious expression on me.

I take a deep breath and forcefully shove all thoughts of Stefan clean out of my head. "Okay," I tell him. "You, me, and dancing. That's all I'll think about. Except maybe something to eat later."

He chuckles. "I won't forget that you'll be needing dinner," he promises as we climb out.

We meet at the front of the Camaro and Damon places his right hand gently at the small of my back to guide me inside. The very first thing that I notice is the massive disco ball over the dance floor. "I thought you said this club was themed for the fifties," I say softly.

"It is," he says, smirking. "The disco ball is a hangover from when it was founded in the in the early seventies when disco was the big thing. The locals went rabid when there was talk about taking it down when management decided to style the club around the fifties. The disco ball stayed." I nod and let Damon guide me to a table right next to the dance floor. "Watch them," he says, motioning to the dancers. "Get a feel for their motions because pretty soon _we'll_ be doing similar motions."

"Pretty flamboyant," I comment after spending a good minute or two examining the dancers.

"This is actually pretty tame compared to how wild the dance _can_ get," he replies.

The song fades off and a new one start.

"_Lord Almighty  
I feel my temperature rising  
Higher, higher  
It's burning through my soul"_

Suddenly, Damon's on his feet next to me, holding out a hand with a wicked grin on his lips. I roll my eyes and place my hand in his and let him pull me to my feet and drag me to the dance floor. "Follow my lead," he says.

I nod and he soon sweeps me off my feet in the dance, _literally._ I feel all the tension that's been building up in me throughout the day evaporate as euphoria takes its place. Damon is a _damned_ good dancer. I've always loved dancing but have never had a willing partner until now. I actually laugh as Damon twists me around in his arms as we dance, my feet never touching the floor for more than a few seconds at a time. And somehow, inexplicably, I manage to keep up with him despite not knowing what he's going to do until he's halfway done with the next move.

The song ends with Damon holding me in his arms with my head dipped toward the floor near his left foot and my feet in the air next to his right shoulder as he kneels slightly while holding me. He grins and stands up, gently setting me on my feet again. "You did a good job keeping up," he compliments. "You sure you haven't gone swing dancing before?"

"I'm sure," I reply with a grin. "I'm so thirsty now."

He chuckles and motions for me to follow him back to our table. He signals one of the waitresses in the dining area of the club that we'd like to order. When the waitress makes her way to our table, he orders bourbon on the rocks while I order a glass of sweet tea, telling her to hold the lemon. Damon asks me about my classes and I tell him the awful time I'm having with history and chemistry.

He chuckles. "Maybe in our next get-together, I could give you some pointers," he offers.

I wrinkle my nose. "One small breaking of our rule for the evening and that will be it: Stefan's offered to help me with history but he makes all these long boring speeches about why such-and-such an event was so important that I often find myself zoning out on him," I tell him.

Damon grins. "Don't worry, I'm not one for speeches. Besides, I prefer you figure out for _yourself_ why something is important. I'll give you pointers to go by when you get stuck at a subject. What are you studying now in history?" he asks.

"World War Two," I reply with a sigh.

"Ah, the war Hitler started," he says, leaning back in his booth. "That war was quite interesting, to say the least."

"You were in it?" I ask, surprised.

"I've fought in every war America has been in since the Civil War," he admits. "Tell me, what's got you so baffled about World War 2?"

I shrug. "I don't get why the whole world got caught up in a war over what race or appearance was best," I admit. "I just don't understand it. People are people. Why should appearance or country of origin matter?"

He shakes his head at me. "I asked myself similar questions ever since I was old enough to understand the concept of slavery," he replies, bracing his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together, and resting his chin on his hands. "Remember, Stefan and I grew up on a plantation where the majority of the workers were slaves," he says. "Stefan had been my closest friend throughout most of my years as a human. But I had other friends, friends among the children of both servants and slaves. For many years, I didn't understand why some of the children I knew, the children I later realized where children of slaves, had been taken away in carts upon reaching a certain age. It was only when I was six that my mother decided I was old enough to understand the way plantations of the south worked. Shortly after my sixth birthday, she took me to the next town where the slave auctions took place. That's where I got my first view of how most slave masters treated their slaves. To say I was horrified is an understatement. She explained to me softly in great detail just what was going on before my eyes. My mother _loathed_ slavery because of how the majority of slave masters treated their slaves. That day she passed her passions against slavery on to me."

"What's this got to do with World War Two?" I ask. "Don't get me wrong, I find this bit of your past interesting. But I don't get how it relates to the subject we were talking about."

"I'm getting to that. Long story short, most slave masters of the South had much in common with the Nazis of Germany. The slave masters believed they were superior to the slaves. They were supremacists. The Nazis were _also_ supremacists, feeling that they were superior to the rest of the world. You understood your lessons on the Civil War, right?" he asks.

"I didn't really understand them until you and Stefan started telling me about your experiences in those days," I reply. "But as you both talked about those days, I began to get an inkling of what it must have been like. I managed to get a B-average on those lessons because of it."

He chuckles. "I lived through both the Civil War _and_ World War 2 and I _still_ don't understand why people have to be so racist even now," he admits. "Stefan never understood why I was strongly against slavery," he says softly. "It was one of the few things we disagreed upon when we were growing up."

"Didn't he have your mother to teach him?" I ask.

Damon's brilliant blue eyes go slightly out-of-focus, seeing something that had happened to him decades ago. "Mother died giving birth to Stefan," he says so softly I have to lean forward to hear him. "Complications arose during her labor with him and she ended up bleeding out. In those days, not much could be done to protect against most complications that can arise during pregnancy. Many women ended up losing their lives in childbirth." His eyes regain focus and he smiles sadly at me. "I resented Stefan for taking her from me for many years, though he all-but-worshipped the ground I walked from the moment he first saw me through to Katherine's arrival in our lives."

"Yet you and Stefan both claimed that you had once been the best of friends," I say softly.

"We were once," he says, nodding. "We once had a powerful bond of brotherhood. But Katherine's arrival in our lives soon had us at each other's throats. Her being taken from us only heightened the feud rather than ended it. Don't let my brother fool you with his White Knight routine, Elena. _He_ is the reason Katherine was captured. He gave me his word he wouldn't do something but he broke his promise. He broke my trust the day Katherine was captured and again once we awoke from death to find Katherine had been feeding both of us her blood."

I frown. "He keeps acting like you are completely untrustworthy," I tell him.

He scoffs and shakes his head. "I have never in my life broken a promise once I gave my word, before or after I turned. I have never lied to the people important to me. Believe it or not, for all that lies between us, Stefan is still one of the important people in my life," he says. He gazes at me speculatively for several long moments and I fight my urge to fidget. "You're another person I have never lied to," he admits suddenly. I snap my head up and meet his gaze in surprise. "Oh, sure, I've misled you by omitting large parts of the truth. But that's not outright lying. _Lying_ is saying something that is in no way the truth. I have never done that in regards to you. I've even slipped you clues to the truths that Stefan would rather be staked than tell you. But as I'm not your boyfriend, I cannot in fairness tell you something that should by all rights come from the one who holds such an important position in your life. Just remember what I said about stopping by the boarding house one day while he's out and snooping around his room. You don't even have to go digging through his things; he keeps some things out in the open that should by all rights have been burned decades ago."

I lower my gaze to my glass of tea, clasped between my hands. "Why do I keep getting the feeling that one of these secrets I haven't been told, one of the ones you've been hinting at, has to do with Katherine?" I ask softly.

"Maybe because more than one of them does involve her," he replies softly. "Stefan saved your life the night your parents died and the _only_ reason he's still in Mystic Falls is because he laid eyes on you."

"What about you?" I ask, raising my eyes to meet his.

He shrugs. "I had already been planning on coming back to Mystic Falls. But the reason I came back is no longer the reason I am here. As I said last night, you were right that something has come to matter more to me than what I had come to Mystic Falls for." I open my mouth to ask what but he shakes his head. "We're still in the process of becoming friends, Elena," he reminds me. "I told you last night that this topic is intensely personal and I don't talk to just _anyone_ about personal things. Maybe when we're actually _friends,_ I'll tell you. Then again, maybe not. We'll have to see. Now, I'm guessing that you're getting rather hungry, even if you don't realize it. Let's order something to eat."

I blink, realizing that I am _extremely_ hungry. I nod my agreement and Damon signals a passing waiter to tell our waitress that we'd like to order. It's only after our waitress brings our order of burgers and fries that I realize that I've frequently seen Damon eat all kinds of human food but only rarely has Stefan eaten in front of me. "How can you even eat if you're supposed to be dead?" I ask, lowering my voice for the word 'dead'.

"On a healthy diet of blood," he says, lowering his voice for the word 'blood', "my body reacts pretty normally."

"Okay, then, why do I often see you eating human food but only rarely have I seen Stefan eat and that was before I found out what you two are?" I ask.

Damon chuckles. "Stefan's diet of animal blood _isn't_ healthy," he replies.

I wait a moment but he seems to be letting it go at that. "What do you mean?" I demand.

He rolls his eyes. "Okay, here's a simile. To a vampire, human blood fresh from the vein is like having a nice rich stew thick with vegetables and grains fresh picked from the fields, packed with chunks of beef that came from a recently butchered cow, coated with a nice thick gravy and a glass of juice fresh squeezed from the ripest fruit in the grove," he says. "The bagged blood I nick from the blood bank is the same stew and juice, just store-bought ingredients rather than farm fresh."

"And animal blood?" I ask softly, knowing I'm not going to like this.

"Animal blood is like stale, moldy rye bread and a glass of water packed with algae. Keeps you going but isn't good for you. And it actually _tastes_ like that, too," he tells me. I raise an eyebrow at him. He grimaces. "I told Stefan I'd go a week on his diet to prove something to him. As I said, I never make a promise I don't keep. But you will _never_ get me to drink animal blood again."

"If animal blood is that revolting and that bad for vampires, why does Stefan live on it? Why doesn't he just drink blood from the blood bank?" I ask.

"That is one of the things you'll have to ask _him_ about," Damon says. "One of the many things he thinks you can't handle knowing. I'll tell you though, he has never been able to last more than a decade, tops, on his diet before falling off the wagon again. And Stefan on the human stuff is _not_ the sweet, gentle Stefan you know. I've swept enough of his episodes under the rug, so to speak, that you really shouldn't believe that he won't fall of the wagon again. Just a word of caution: be _very_ careful how close you get to him if you're injured to the point of bleeding. And _never_ ask him to feed off you. Only life and death circumstances should make you resort to that."

"Does he lose control or something on human blood?" I ask. Damon makes the signal of locking his lips and throwing away the key. "Damon, you said last night that you believe I'd be able to handle all the secrets Stefan wants to keep from me."

He sighs. "Elena, I'd happily share the nitty-gritty details of what Stefan is like on the human stuff. I'd even show you old pictures and newspaper clippings of what he has done. But it's just not my place to share the major part of this news. It's Stefan's burden to bear because he steadfastly _refuses_ to let me train him how to live on the human stuff properly. If you manage to pry out of him even the smallest morsel of this particular secret from him, I'll dig out the old newspaper clippings and photos to _show_ you what the humans made of his lapses. Until then, I will not say anything further on the subject. Besides, it's not something I should tell you when you're eating or even when you have something in your stomach. I'm a vampire who has had my humanity switch off since the fifties and even _I_ got nauseous when I saw what he left behind."

Two words jump out at me from what Damon just said. Deciding to focus on them rather than the big mystery he's hinting at, I ask, "Humanity switch?"

"Vampires have something similar to a light switch that can turn their emotions on and off. Our emotions are what make us act more human-like, though ours are magnified from human emotions to the maximum they can be. In fact, everything a human is, was, and could be is pumped up to the max when they make the transition into being a vampire: emotions, senses, personality, abilities, _everything,"_ he says.

"What do you mean 'pumped up to the max'?" I ask.

He chuckles and leans back. "Let's take for this instance _scent,"_ he says. "Take sniff of the air and tell me what you smell."

I frown but obey, closing my eyes and breathing in slowly but deeply through my nose. "I smell our burgers and fries. I smell the grease being used in the kitchen. I smell some sort of air spray," I say.

"That it?" he asks when I stop.

"The other smells are too mixed together to identify," I admit.

"Fair enough," he says. "Now, I smell all that and more. I smell each and every topping on our burgers, the burgers themselves, and I can tell just by scent that they used white wheat buns. The grease they are using in the kitchen is a combination of grease from everything they've fried as well as canola oil. The air spray is supposed to be lilacs but the rest of the scents in the place nearly drown it out. I smell your perfume, a scent known as Moonlit Path, which is comprised of a number of different flower extracts. I smell your deodorant. I smell the mint-flavored Crest toothpaste you used to brush your teeth this morning as well as the Crest mouthwash you rinsed your mouth with. I smell faint traces of the nail polish you put on your toenails last night and I smell the oils and extracts used in the makeup you're wearing. I smell your lip-gloss, which I'm assuming tastes like strawberries because it smells like strawberries. I smell your personal scent, underneath all the other scents you're covered with. I smell the bleach they used to wash our table down with before we arrived. I smell the well-worn leather of my jacket, the old leather these seats are covered with. I smell thousands of other scents that comprise the hundreds of people who have been in here just today. I smell all the sweat that was worked up on the dance floor." Suddenly, he winks at me. "I can _smell_ that you're a virgin _and_ that your period will start any day now."

I blush crimson at that. "Okay, enough with the showing off," I tell him, trying to fight my blush down. I shake my head in disbelief. "You really smell _all_ that?" I ask, awed.

"Yep. In the first week or so of being a vampire, it is _hell_ trying _not_ to go crazy from the sensory overload alone. Add in emotions, brainpower, and your own personality being cranked up just as much, and it's a wonder that there are so few vampires who have gone crazy from it all. Add the Craving being there twenty-four-seven, and, well, you'll understand why most sires stay with their newborns for the first several months just to keep them from outing the rest of us to the humans."

"Except, from what I understand, Katherine wasn't there for you and Stefan," I say.

"That's right," he says, nodding.

"So how did you two end up so differently?"

"_That_ tale starts shortly after Katherine arrived at our manor," he says. "I'll tell you it sometime."

"Why not now?" I ask.

He chuckles. "Because as soon as you finish eating, I have to take you home. It's nearly ten, kitten," he says.

I wrinkle my nose. "Why'd you call me that?" I demand, picking up my burger.

"Because you're as curious as a kitten," he says with a grin. "You ask so many questions and are so inquisitive about everything around you. You're just like a kitten, poking your nose into everything." I lift the top bun off my burger, checking for pickles. Spying three, I pluck them off and plop them on my plate before smothering the burger in ketchup and mustard. "Oh, come on! You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" Damon demands, snatching them up and popping them in his mouth.

I roll my eyes. "Something's wrong with _you_ for liking those things," I tell him, putting the bun back on my burger and taking a great big bite. He chuckles and eats his fries as I finish my burger. We settle into a comfortable silence as we finish our meals. We finish about the same time and I smile at Damon as we linger over our drinks. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to have such a great time with you," I tell Damon.

"I'm full of great times," he replies smoothly.

I roll my eyes. "Thanks for the evening, Damon. Even if we only got one dance out of the deal," I say.

"Oh? You want another dance?" he asks with a grin, sliding out of his booth. His eyes twinkle merrily as he holds out his hand to me. "Dance with me?" he asks softly.

I hesitate for just a split second before placing my hand in his. Sometime during our conversation, the music had changed to slow, romantic songs. "Yes," I say breathlessly as he gently pulls me to my feet. He walks backward to the dance floor, his eyes on me the whole time. Once in the middle of the floor, he pulls me into his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck as he settles his hands on my hips. Damon leads me expertly through a dance that isn't at all to the song playing, his forehead resting against mine. "What dance is this?" I breathe. "I feel like I should know this dance but I know I've never performed it before."

He smiles softly before twirling me out then pulling me back into his arms. He keeps hold of my right hand and presses my palm to his chest, over his slowly beating heart. "You do know this dance, Elena," he says softly, placing his right palm over my heart. "Your heart will tell you how you know it, if you listened to it," he says, his eyes burning brightly with an emotion I feel I should know though I have never seen such an intense, all-consuming emotion directed at me before. He presses his lips to my forehead before stepping back and releasing me. "C'mon. Let's get you home before Jenna calls the cops to track you down."

I follow him silently as he leads me to the register so he can pay for our meal. I stay quiet all the way to Damon pulling into my drive. I turn to him expectantly, though I don't know what it is I'm expecting. He turns to me, staring into my eyes. I can barely make out his features in light of the moon. The front porch light is behind me and doesn't reach him. But I know he can see me clearly with his vampire eyes. Slowly, oh-so-slowly, Damon picks up my left hand and lifts it to his lips. He barely brushes his lips against my skin before slowly putting my hand back in my lap. "Goodnight, Elena," he says softly. "Think about what you want to do tomorrow and text me when you decide."

"I don't think I have your number," I say just as softly, not wanting to ruin the moment.

He smirks. "I added my number to your contacts when you came over to study with Stefan the other day," he says wryly. "Now go. We don't want Jenna coming out and finding out I'm the friend you were hanging out with tonight. Stefan would be sure to find out about it."

I sigh and let myself out of Damon's car. I slowly make my way up onto the porch. Once there, I turn to watch Damon. He waves. I smile weakly and wave back. 'Tomorrow!' I mouth. He nods.

I watch Damon pull out of my driveway and drive down the street. I'm still staring after him ten minutes after his taillights disappear around the corner, when Jenna finds me on the porch. "Elena?" she asks, touching my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

I turn to grin at my aunt. "I'm more than alright, Jenna," I tell her, realizing for myself as I say it that it's true. "I'm happy. For the first time since Mom and Dad died, I'm honestly and truly _happy."_

Her eyes widen before a smile filled with immense relief spreads across her lips. "Maybe you should hang out with this friend of yours more often if they make you so happy," she says.

I wrap my arms around her neck. "I will," I tell her. "I will definitely hang out with him more often."

"This friend's a guy, huh? And _not_ Stefan, I'm assuming?" she asks. "What does Stefan think about this?"

I frown and slowly release her. "Stefan doesn't know. He _can't_ know. He already gets so jealous of every guy I so much as _talk_ to," I tell her earnestly. "If he knew that I was hanging out with a guy who makes me so very happy, he would never permit me out of his sight."

Jenna frowns, obviously concerned. "Elena, are you sure you should be dating someone _that_ possessive?" she asks, worry flooding her voice.

I open my mouth to respond automatically but stop myself. I close my mouth and frown. "Before this evening I would have answered that everything is fine between me and Stefan," I admit finally. "But now … now I'm not sure _what_ I'm going to do about Stefan. His jealousy is really getting on my nerves and he has no reason to be jealous. I've never given him a reason to not trust that I'll be faithful."

Jenna sighs and wraps her arm around my shoulders. "C'mon, let's get inside. This is going to be a tough decision for you. You don't have to make it tonight, but you will have to make it soon."

I sigh. "I know," I tell her, letting her guide me inside. I pause when I feel eyes on me. I turn and scan the dark neighborhood but I don't see anything or anyone. But that doesn't mean someone's not out there, watching me. Damon told me this evening just how acute vampire senses are. And I know personally just how fast they are.

"Elena?" Jenna asks.

I shake my head and head inside with her. "It's nothing," I lie. I hate lying to people I care about, but I don't feel that now is a good time to bring Jenna in on the secret of the supernatural.

**Damon**

I smirk as I watch the Gilbert house from the shadows of the house across the street. My plan is working perfectly. Elena will be _mine._ And compulsion will be no part of it. I watch until the light in Elena's bedroom window goes out before heading back to where I had left my car.


	4. Said It Again

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: welcome to chapter 4. I hope everyone continues to enjoy what I have in store for you. This chapter starts with Damon.

_**CREDIT**_  
Casey Tavernier, who I'm using for Elena's Drama teacher, belongs to my niece, who actually created her for various RP sites she had joined.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_kfulmer7:_ I had thought about having Stefan be the one Elena sensed spying on her but decided it's much too soon for Stefan to find out what Elena and Damon are up to.

DelenaForever93: thank you so much for the praise. Here's the next chapter.

_jairem:_ as I said in the story info section of the first chapter, this story takes place after Vicki is killed in 1x07, _"Haunted",_ and before Lexi arrives in 1x08, _"162 Candles"._ So no, Stefan and Elena have not gotten physical. Nor are they going to do any more than kiss. I agree that Damon is much better than Stefan. But I'm sorry, Elena isn't going to dump Stefan just yet, though she is beginning to compare the brothers on a whole new level. I promise you this: I will _never_ write anything more physical between Stefan and Elena that kissing. I can't stand the pairing and I barely tolerate writing it even when I know that Damon will inevitably win Elena's heart. Glad you enjoyed.

_mary-bash-mash:_ I'm _so_ sorry about the delay in updates. First my muse quits on me and then when it comes back, my beta's laptop needs to be replaced and I'm without him until further notice. So, yeah, things have not been running smoothly. As it is, I'm posting chapters without an active beta at the moment. You need to explain how Damon is evil? Possessive, maybe. Protective, definitely. But evil? I'm not so sure. Evil would be him using Elena as a substitute for Katherine until he could open the tomb. As I've tried to make as clear as possible, Damon is _so_ over Katherine and wants the much more awesome doppelganger, Elena, all for himself.

_JMHUW:_ **(laughs)** you just love the whole chapter, don't you? You don't know what Jenna's thoughts will be when she finds out it's Damon that Elena's been hanging out with? Well, that makes two of us because I don't know either. I'm finding out what happens next as my muse tells me, just like you're finding it out as you read it. Early Season 1 Damon _loved_ to tell Elena these massive clues about the secrets Stefan is keeping from her without actually giving the game away. We all know this. And yep, Stefan dug his own hole. And he's digging it deeper and deeper as the story progresses. Also, about your other comment about Jenna. We all know how she had been used and emotionally abused by men prior to the start of the series **(coughscumfellcough)**. So I feel that she would obviously be concerned to find out about the signs Stefan has been exhibiting in regards to Elena. She'd certainly feel the need to at least point out that Elena should think hard about if she really wanted someone like that in her life, particularly in such a significant role.

* * *

Chapter 4  
Said It Again

I smirk as I text Elena. Yes, I know she's in history class, but that makes this all the sweeter.

_So, beautiful, what are we doing today? – D_

It takes about a minute for her reply to get to me, but I know she doesn't want to be caught.

_I'm in class! – E_

I chuckle and reply.

_I know. Answer the question. – D_

I can almost see her eye roll at that. But she replies. _Help me study. Mid-terms are next week. – E_

I grin.

_Meet me at The Grill after school. – D_

_Won't Stefan find out? – E_

_Football practice today, remember? They finally got a replacement coach. – D_

The reply takes several minutes.

_You are so going to get me in trouble. Fine. After school. The Grill. See you then. – E_

I chuckle, tuck my phone back in my pocket, and drain my glass of bourbon. I then motion for a refill. Things are going according to plan. This is almost too easy. Almost.

I had come to this town dead set on freeing Katherine from the tomb. Meeting Elena and getting to know her has thrown me so completely off track that I no longer care that Katherine is wasting away in a tomb, in complete agony as her empty veins continue to pulse, her heart continues to beat even though no blood is left in her body. Stefan has no idea just how truly painful desiccation is, even in the later stages. He thinks when a vampire reaches the stage of desiccation that is mummification, that ends the pain. Hate to say it, baby bro, but that's when the _true_ agony begins.

Somehow, I no longer give a damn that Katherine's suffering. My priorities have shifted so completely as to exclude her entirely in favor of Elena - her doppelganger and quite likely, her descendant. Elena has tugged my long-ago buried humanity out from the dark reaches of my soul and brought it to the surface. I'll admit it, if only to myself at this point: I'm more in love with Elena Gilbert than I ever was with Katherine Pierce.

But I'm going to keep that admission strictly to myself for now. Can't be hurt if no one knows. And Elena would figure out _exactly_ what my plan is if she were to find out about this development. I make a silent vow to myself that history will not repeat itself where Elena is concerned. It won't be repeated because I don't intend on sharing this time around.

After school

**Elena**

I smile to myself as I cross the field between the school and the student parking lot. Suddenly, Stefan's next to me. "Hey," he says.

"Hey, Stefan."

"You know I've got football practice this afternoon," he begins, "but I was thinking that after practice, we can make up for the study session you missed Monday."

I tightly rein in my instinctive cringe. "Actually, Stefan, something came up. I've got plans for this evening."

He studies me intently. "Everything okay?" he asks.

"I made plans with the friend I was hanging out with yesterday," I answer.

"Do I know this friend?" he asks.

"No," I say. Well, it's not _really_ a lie. Stefan doesn't know the side of Damon I have been privileged to see. He doesn't know the Damon who's quickly becoming my friend. "Maybe some other time."

"You said you're going to need help with history," he reminds me.

"Turns out my friend is pretty knowledgeable," I say. "He's going to help me study."

"'He'?" Stefan asks, narrowing his eyes.

I inwardly curse myself for the slip. "Stefan, relax. You know how Matt and I are friends? Well, this guy is the same sort of friend, minus the back story. There's nothing romantic going on between us," I tell him. I place my hands on his cheeks. "I would never betray your faith in me," I say forcefully, staring into his eyes. "I wish you'd start believing that."

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Elena," he says. "I'll try harder to control my jealousy."

I lower my eyes. "I just wish you'd trust me with the full extent of why you get so jealous whenever I so much as talk to another guy," I say as I pull away. "I have to go. I promised my friend I'd meet him for a study session. Have fun at practice. I'll see you tomorrow."

I get to my car and turn back but, once again, Stefan's gone. I shake my head. Twenty minutes later, I walk into The Grill and feel a smile light up my face when I see Damon has taken over a table in an out-of-the-way corner. I slide into the booth opposite him. "Hey," I say warmly.

"Hey yourself," he replies, his typical smirk tugging at his lips. "So, tonight's a study session for exams. I've always valued a good education, so let's get started."

"Which subject should we start with?" I ask.

"Which one do you have the most trouble with?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.

"That would be chemistry," I reply.

"Then we'll start with chemistry," he says, grinning. "Let's see your book."

I obey and within minutes, Damon and I are bent over my chemistry textbook, lost in conversation. In fact, we're so involved, that I lose all track of time until my stomach growls to tell me it's been a very long time since I last ate. I blush as Damon smirks again.

"Let's take a break and get something to eat," he says.

I look at my watch and gasp when I see it's already nearly seven. "I need to let Jenna know I'm okay," I tell him, pulling out my cell phone.

"Go ahead," he says. "Burgers okay?" he asks. I nod. He winks at me. "I'll make sure they leave the pickles off your burger."

I chuckle and go outside to call Jenna. Once I've assured her all is well, I head back inside and sit back down. "Jenna wants me back before eleven," I tell Damon as I pour some ketchup on my plate for my fries.

"Then we'll have you back before eleven," he replies, taking a bite of his own burger.

I turn my attention to my food. Somehow, I know that, even though Damon was teasing me about my aversion to pickles when he said he'd make sure my burger didn't have any, he was also serious that there would be no pickles on my burger. So I don't even bother checking. I just smother the patty in ketchup and mustard before replacing the bun. I glance up in time to catch just a glimpse of gratitude in Damon's expression. It's gone so fast I halfway doubt it was ever there. But I resist the temptation to say anything. Me trusting he would follow through, even though I knew he was teasing me, must be a big deal when you haven't had anyone place any amount of trust in you in a long, long time. A small smile tugs at my lips as I pick up my burger and take a bite. I knew it: no pickles.

**Damon**

I'll admit, Elena's trust in believing I'd make sure there were no pickles on her burger would normally be considered a very small thing. But considering I haven't had anyone place even a crumb of trust in me of their own free will in decades beyond count, a small thing becomes pretty substantial. I know she caught a glimpse of the gratitude that had flashed across my face.

Deciding not to start wondering just how much she trusts me right now, I drill her in the history her class has covered since the start of the year between mouthfuls of food. Once I'm sure she's got a grasp of what happened when and why, I switch to drilling her in geometry, which she proves to have a damned good grasp on. I continue on through each of the subjects she's taking until we get to one that truly amuses me. "Drama?" I ask, arching an eyebrow at her.

She chuckles weakly and shrugs. "This is my sixth year taking it," she admits. "I've always been fascinated by performers, not just the actors and actresses in Hollywood. So, when Mom took me to the middle school to sign up for electives for sixth grade, I signed up for drama and whispered a one-word prayer: 'please'. My prayer was answered that year and every year since. Middle and high school drama classes last for the entire school year, unlike other electives. In sixth grade through tenth, I was also in the Drama Club. But after the crash, all those extracurricular activities just weren't important anymore." Her eyes take on the glazed look of someone lost in memories, although she keeps speaking. "Cheerleading was something I did because Mom encouraged me. She was cheer captain and she wanted that for me. Of course, I never got the spot, but just being on the squad made her so happy that I didn't have the heart to drop out, even though I usually had other things to do that were more interesting to me and conflicted with practice." She blinks, her eyes refocusing. She sighs. "As I said, after my parents died, I let all the extra stuff slide. But for some reason, I signed up for drama again this year. The teacher I've had every year of high school is also the Drama Club sponsor." She chuckles. "Until we got a history teacher to replace Tanner, she was the only teacher I've ever met who preferred being called by a nickname, which all the other teachers think is really rude. But Casey Tavernier isn't a Mystic Falls native. Neither is Alaric Saltzman, our new history teacher."

I smirk. "Well, drama is one subject I'm going to have to study with you, it seems," I admit. "I never felt the need to take a class in it because I've spent most of my existence perfecting my acting skills."

"There's more to drama than just acting, Damon," she says, smiling. "You have the actors who have to remember all the details while playing their roles. Then there's the stage crew and they take care of the props, lights, sounds, and other things the audience is barely even aware of. You have the scriptwriters and the director. So much more goes on behind the scenes than what happens on stage. And that's just the part of drama that revolves around the stage. I've learned a bunch of seemingly pointless tricks that can be used to improve coordination and reflexes. I've learned how to pitch my voice to carry over a noisy crowd without actually yelling. I've learned a kind of acting referred to as improvisation, which is where I have to think up something on the spot for any number of scenarios. It's great or when you're onstage and don't remember the exact wording of your next line."

"What sort of 'seemingly pointless tricks' did you learn?" I ask.

She chuckles. "Well, I can juggle just about anything without dropping it," she admits. "Last year, Casey picked out the three best jugglers in Drama Club. I was one of them. She has this crazy thing about giving her students challenges to help them exceed their own expectations. So, she gave us a challenge."

"And what challenge would that be?" I ask.

"Well, she gave each of us three handkerchiefs and said to start juggling. After we each got a rhythm down, she challenged us to catch anything our classmates threw at us and add it to what we were already juggling," she says. "One of the other jugglers, a guy named Jason Howard, had an apple thrown at him. He caught it and added it to his routine. He then went a step further than I had thought possible and _ate_ the apple as he juggled it and the other stuff while still catching the other things being thrown at him. By the time Casey said we could stop, Jason had eaten the apple down to a core. Casey disappointed/disgusted expression if someone stopped their juggling routine by letting what they were juggling hit the floor. We were expected to either catch what we were juggling or set the stuff down on a surface one at a time as we slowed the routine. Again, Jason went a step further by tossing the apple core into the trash can behind him before beginning to pile the other fifteen or so items he had been juggling on the teacher's desk. The entire club laughed as he ate the apple and we clapped like crazy for him."

"How many things were _you_ juggling at the end of the challenge?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I had to drop out of the challenge at about eight because I just couldn't catch any more and keep it all going at the same time," she admits. She looks down at her drama textbook. "Drama tests usually aren't the kind you can cram for, anyway" she says. "What went on in class so far this semester was more physical than mental. I've memorized the stuff I can cram for years ago."

I nod. "All right, then," I say. "I guess our study session is over for tonight." I reach into my pocket and pull out the spare key to the boarding house I had made today. "Seeing as you're always in and out of the boarding house," I say, passing the key to Elena, "I had this made for you in case you want to stop by and no one was home."

She takes the key, her face a study of hesitation. "Are you sure?" she asks.

"Since Stefan hasn't bothered to get you one yet, yeah, I'm sure," I tell her. "Drop by any time you want."

"I'll do that," she says slowly. She pulls out her keychain and attaches the spare key. She looks at her watch, which makes me look at mine to see it's nearly ten-thirty. "I need to get going," she says, gathering her books and stuffing them back in her backpack. Once she has her things together, she slides out of the booth and turns to go, but hesitates, then turns back to me. "I had a good time, Damon," she says. "And that's saying something since I have _never_ had a good time studying."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," I tell her, grinning. "You should get going. Don't want to be late for curfew."

She smiles and nods. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asks hopefully.

"Sure," I reply. "Let's meet back here at the same time for another study session."

"Okay," she says. "See you then."

As she walks away, I smirk and finish my bourbon. The plan's going smoothly. Soon, she'll be mine.

An hour later

**Elena**

I smile fondly as I put my pen to a new page in my journal. I write the date and start tonight's entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_The other night I predicted that wouldn't be the only time I would tell Stefan that something came up to keep me from hanging out with him. I was right. I said it again this afternoon. He wanted to have a study session with me after he got out of football practice. But I had already promised Damon I would let him help me study. In making my excuses, I accidentally let slip that the 'friend' I've been hanging out with is in fact a 'he'. But I managed to keep from giving Stefan even a __hint__ that I'm fast on the way to actually becoming friends with Damon._

_Based on the way he said the words 'our relationship' the other night, I just __know__ Damon intends on taking this a good deal further than merely friendship. He has dropped all these massive hints that Stefan is hiding major secrets from me. Normally, Damon would love to rat out his brother, but he keeps saying that he's not going to do it this time because he says the 'explosion' that will go off when I discover what's going on is going to keep getting bigger the longer Stefan refuses to tell me his secrets._

_Another thing. Damon gave me a key to the boarding house this evening. He said 'drop by any time'. Something tells me he put means much more than just 'dropping by.' Could he possibly be giving me a way to get to the secrets that Stefan is hiding from me, a way to search Stefan's room, when neither brother is home? That certainly __sounds__ like something Damon would do._

_I don't think he believes I'll actually follow through on his suggestion to search Stefan's room when Stefan's not there. I've never been one to so blatantly invade someone else's privacy. But I've also never been one to hide things from my family, which I'm doing now in keeping all the supernatural things that are happening around me a secret._

_You know what, Diary? I think the only way to find out what Stefan is hiding from me is to search his room while he's gone. I'm going to do it at the next opportunity I get. I have a feeling these secrets are going to completely alter my view of Stefan. It's not a very comfortable feeling, but if I'm going to be in on this whole secret world, I don't want anything else kept from me. And if I have to go behind Stefan's back and search his room while he's out to get to the bottom of things, I guess I'll just have to go through with it._

_Elena_


	5. First Sign of Trouble

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: welcome to chapter 5. I am so glad everyone seems to be enjoying what I have to write. Without further ado, here's the story. Starts with Elena.

_**IN REGARDS TO COMMENTS ABOUT ELENA'S VIRGINITY IN MY STORIES**_

I keep getting told that Elena and Matt had sex prior to the start of the series. I've only seen the first four seasons and just a few episodes of the fifth. In _none_ of the episodes I have watched does anyone come right out and _say_ that Elena and Matt had taken their relationship to the physical level. Nor are there any flashbacks to such a scene. I have not finished watching the fifth season nor have I seen any of Season 6 so I don't know if what I'm being told is fact or if it's just people taking certain scenes to mean that Matt had been Elena's first. Personally, I think that if Elena had found Katherine's picture after giving her virginity to Stefan, it would make the discovery all the more horrifying, the betrayal all the more intense. As such, I like to portray early Season 1 Elena as a virgin only in the sense that she hasn't had sex yet. As I keep saying in the Warnings sections in the beginning of the first chapter of each of my stories, my fanfics all take place in an Alternate Universe. Because of that, I feel like portraying Elena as a virgin in early Season 1 is just fine, even if she actually wasn't in the show.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_JMHUW:_ you reviewed within minutes of me posting last chapter. You must have been checking your email and immediately clicked the link to the chapter in the alert. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter so immensely. And yeah, Elena knows that Damon would treasure even the most miniscule sign of trust she exhibits. Her shows of trust are only going to get bigger as the story progresses. I agree that scene where Elena talks about the juggling challenge was pretty funny. Here's more.

_rcardinals4:_ It would be nice if my muse would stick around a good long while. At least long enough for me to finish even _one_ TVD fanfic. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far.

_mary-bash-mash:_ well, if that's your definition of an Evil Damon, then yes, Damon is definitely evil in this fanfic. Personally, I prefer to think of it along the lines of "All's Fair in Love and War" and Damon's in love with Elena so he's going to war with Stefan over our favorite doppelganger's heart.

_kfulmer7:_ glad you enjoyed the study session. As for whether Jenna's okay with it or not, well, we'll have to wait and see.

_jairem:_ I responded to your comments about Elena being a virgin in the section above. As for your question regarding Elena's reaction to knowing Damon wants more than mere friendship with her, all I'm going to say is that at this point in time, Elena's feelings on the subject are rather mixed. As the story progresses, Elena will sort out those mixed feelings. And considering that this is a Delena fanfic, you know damn well who she's going to end up with. It's just the how, when, and why that is up in the air right now.

* * *

Chapter 5  
First Sign of Trouble

As soon as I step into The Grill, I realize that the trouble that comes with trying to be someone's friend in secret has finally caught up with me. Bonnie and Caroline are seated at our usual table in the center of the room. Meanwhile, Damon's taken over the table we used for our study session last night. I can clearly see from Damon's expression that he expects me to go sit with Bonnie and Caroline and completely ignore him. I can also see that what he expects me to do hurts him.

I resettle my backpack on my shoulder as I make my decision. Damon has started to slowly place his trust in me. I can't betray his trust just because word might get back to Stefan that I'm hanging out with his brother. Firming up my spine, I proceed to make my way to the table Damon's at.

"Elena, what are –?" Caroline starts as I draw close, only to trail off as I completely pass the table. "Where is she going?" I hear her ask Bonnie.

I soon reach Damon's table. "Hey," I say, smiling at the shock I can see in his expression.

"You know, you didn't have to come over here," he says slowly. "You could have sat with your girlfriends.

"Actually, I _did_ have to come over here," I say, sliding my backpack off my shoulder as I slip into the booth across from him. "I asked you to help me study for midterms. How can you help me study if I'm way over there and you're way over here?"

"Stefan's going to find out about this for sure, now," he points out.

"Yeah, well, he was going to find out eventually," I admit.

He opens his mouth to reply but something over my shoulder catches his attention. "Your girlfriends are making their way over," he tells me. "They don't look very happy."

"I made it pretty obvious that I hang out with you. Of course they wouldn't be happy," I tell him.

"Elena, _what_ are you doing at _his_ table?" Caroline demands.

"Damon's helping me study for midterms," I reply honestly.

"I thought you were studying with Stefan," Bonnie says accusingly.

"Stefan's been busy with football practice," I explain. "You two have been busy with other stuff. Damon offered to help me study. I accepted."

"So, what, the two of you are _friends_ now?" Caroline asks, hurt and outrage mingling in her voice.

I meet first Caroline's eyes then Bonnie's, letting them see my determination. "I'm giving him the same chance at having my friendship that I've given both of you time and again over the years," I tell them, cruelly reminding them of all the times they had stabbed me in the back and had to earn my friendship back. I open my backpack as they quickly retreat back to their table. I pull out my calculus book and set it on the table between Damon and I.

Damon doesn't say a word about my brief conversation with my friends, though I can clearly see the speculation in his eyes. Instead, we settle into the same studying routine we had gone through yesterday. Around seven-thirty, I excuse myself to call Jenna and let her know I'm studying with 'my friend' again while Damon orders burgers and fries for us.

Once I return, I don't bother checking for pickles, simply smothering the burger with ketchup and mustard. While I had been talking to Jenna, an idea had started forming. I decide to voice it. "I want to introduce you to Jenna," I comment after I've swallowed my first mouthful of burger. "Maybe tomorrow we can study at my place."

"Sounds good to me," he says. "And I can cook dinner."

I arch an eyebrow. "You cook?" I ask wryly.

"It's a passion of I inherited from my mother," he admits.

"Tell me about her," I request.

He just chuckles. "Some other time," he promises. "I'm supposed to be helping you study for midterms next week, remember?"

I groan. "At this rate, I'm gonna be reciting these drills in my sleep," I complain.

"Well, at least you'll be able to remember what you need to know for your exams," he points out.

I sigh and we get back to studying around bites of our food.

Around 10pm

I sigh when I glance at my watch. "Well, it's ten," I say, looking up at Damon. "I should get going."

He nods while I gather my books and stuff them back in my backpack. When I go to slip out of my booth, I'm startled to see Damon waiting to help me up. After a moment's hesitation, I place my hand in his and let him help me to my feet. I smile warmly at him. "Thanks," I say softly.

He leans forward and places a chaste kiss on my forehead. Then he meets my eyes. "No problem," he replies quietly. "C'mon, I'll walk you to your car."

I nod and we walk side-by-side out to my car. We're not _quite_ touching, but we're close enough that I can feel the magnetic current that kicks up whenever we get near each other. Once I've unlocked my car and opened the door, I hesitate briefly. 'What the hell?' I think before leaning over and giving Damon a kiss on the cheek. "G'nite," I tell him, smiling at his shocked expression.

"Goodnight, Elena," he says, stepping back as I climb in my car and shut the door.

Once again, I check the rearview mirror when I reach the stoplight down the street from The Grill. Once again, Damon's still there, watching me until I turn off the main street onto the road that will take me home.

One hour later

I sigh as I stare at the diary page before me. With great reluctance, I decide I need to get these mixed feelings down so I can sort them out. I write the date and begin my journal entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_Damon and I are getting to be very close. But there's a problem. It's not a problem with Damon. He's being a perfect gentleman for once. No, the problem is my emotions when I'm around him. They're so confusing, so mix-matched._

_I guess I should spell it out. When I'm around Damon, I feel like a moth and he's a flame. It's a struggle to keep from being drawn in completely by him. I keep telling Stefan I'm not Katherine, that I'm a faithful girlfriend, that I would never cheat on him. But every time I'm around Damon, there's this massive struggle in me. Part of me longs to throw caution to the wind and __give in__ to this feeling of rightness I am filled with whenever he's near. I feel free around Damon. Free to do any damn thing I felt the urge to. Free to kick up my heels and become a true wild child. And I know that Damon would be with me every step of the way, having just as much fun._

_Being near Damon gives me the sense of coming home. I feel like everything's right in the world even if life has changed into something I barely recognize. When I'm around Damon, I relax on an instinctive level because I just know he would give his life to protect me. He has never said a word or made an action that would tell me that. It's something I've always felt._

_All my life I've felt like something was missing like some important part of me just wasn't there. Then Damon entered my life and now, whenever I'm around him, I feel whole._

_But I'm dating Stefan. I care about Stefan. Just not to the same depth as my feelings for Damon. And I can't just dump Stefan for Damon. What would that say about me? Wouldn't that be similar to what Katherine did when she played the brothers against each other? I'm torn between an almost physical need to be with Damon and this enormous desire to be nothing like Katherine._

_If I knew the secrets Stefan is keeping from me, the secrets Damon keeps hinting at … I feel that if I knew what those secrets were, I wouldn't be so conflicted. It feels like I'm the rope in a tug-of-war game between the brothers. It's not a very comfortable feeling. I'm with Stefan but everything inside me is pulling me towards Damon. I don't know what to do._

_Elena_

At that moment, boarding house

**Damon**

I smirk to myself as I walk into the boarding house but frown when I detect a very familiar scent. As soon as I identify the scent, I sense someone behind me. Turning slowly, I cross my arms and smirk at the blond vampiress who has been Stefan's best bud since he and I were newborns. "Lexi," I greet.

"Damon," she says coldly just before she reels her arm back and punches me in the jaw, causing me to fly backwards and land on my back. _"That_ was for New York," she says angrily.

"I never apologized for that?" I ask curiously. She glares at me. "My bad."

"I came to spend Stefan's birthday with him. Don't ruin it for me," she says coolly.

I smirk. "No need to worry about that," I tell her, getting back to my feet. "I've got other ways to entertain myself." I nod at Stefan, who's perched on one of the couches in the living room. "Brother," I greet before making my way upstairs to my room. Things have just gotten interesting. Once securely locked in my room, I pull out my phone and begin a new text to Elena.

_Change of plans. Let's study at the boarding house tomorrow. – D_

It takes a bit for Elena to reply.

_Why? – E_

_C'mon, just agree. I'll come over to your place Saturday. – D_

_I don't know what you're up to, but you got me interested. I'll come over after school tomorrow. – E_

_Excellent. See you then. – D_

I smirk. I can't wait to see what happens when Elena and Lexi meet face-to-face. Lexi knows exactly what Katherine looked like thanks to the picture Stefan kept of our sire. Since Blondie and Judgy now know that Elena and I were study-buddies, we might as well let Stefan know that she and I have started up a friendship. Tomorrow's going to be _very_ interesting.

* * *

Sarah: so, Lexi has arrived for the first time in one of my stories. Don't worry, my lovelies, Lexi won't be dying in this universe. As I said in the beginning section of Chapter 1, Damon has an alternative plan for covering his tracks. Anyways! Reviews would be oh-so-lovely. Let me know what you think.


	6. An Interesting Afternoon

Something Came Up  
DG32173

Sarah: and welcome to Chapter 6, everyone. I know my recent update streak has been much faster than usual and the only reason for that is because I have a _lot_ of muse for this story. Without further ado, review replies and then the chapter. Enjoy. Starts with Damon.

_**CREDIT**_  
A few chapters ago, I advertised for a temporary replacement beta. I am happy to say I have found my new beta. Thanks, _Natchez,_ for stepping forward to help me out; it means a lot to have someone of your experience offering their services as a beta.

_**NOTICE**_  
Yes, I know that at the end of Season 5 it came out that Damon was immortalized at twenty-five. But in all my fanfics, I have had him immortalized at twenty-four. This is because my first TVD fanfics were written while Season 4 was still being aired and the Wikia had listed him as being immortalized at twenty-four at that time. I prefer some consistency when I go story-to-story, so I'm going to keep saying Damon was immortalized at twenty-four, having been born in 1840. My stories are all based in alternate universes, after all. It's my prerogative to have that kind of control in the universes I create in my stories.

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_pegazus16:_ glad you enjoyed. Here's the next chapter.

_JMHUW:_ yeah, I never liked how Elena let this, that, or whatever get in the way of her happiness in the series. Her hooking up with Damon was put off for too damn long because she refused to allow herself to be happy because she felt what made her happy would make her more like Katherine. No, turning off her _humanity_ made her more like Katherine. Glad you enjoy the side of Elena I have chosen to portray. I like it when she's honest with herself and the world around her about what makes her happy and doesn't let those around her influence her judgment. I hope you continue to enjoy what I have in store.

_mary-bash-mash:_ I could have sworn I made it clear in Chapter 1 and subsequent chapters that Damon has chosen to give up his plan to 'free' Katherine. Whether or not the tomb will still be opened by Anna, that is still up in the air. Whether or not Katherine will make an appearance as more than just a picture and a reference in conversation, that is still up in the air, too. Whether this story continues along a similar path to Canon or take a completely unexpected path, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

_LGZSPECCY:_ glad you are enjoying what I'm writing. Here's more.

_jairem:_ Stefan's initial reaction in confronting Elena over how she's spending her free time is not going to be played out as anything more than a reference of what he did. But you can be assured that he was _extremely_ jealous. Lexi's reaction will be played out in this chapter. And yes, Damon is _very_ determined.

_kfulmer7:_ oh, Elena will find out more about the secrets Stefan is keeping. That's inevitable. You should know by the pairing who she will be with in the end. It's just getting there that will be the interesting part.

* * *

Chapter 6  
An Interesting Afternoon

I smirk as I hear Elena's car pull up in the driveway afterschool. Stefan is in the shower while Lexi is walking around in just a bath towel for some reason. Me? I'm reclining on the couch waiting ever-so-patiently for Elena to come inside so we can begin studying.

Elena doesn't even hesitate on letting herself into the house. I turn and watch as she and Lexi meet for the first time. To say Lexi is struck speechless by Elena's appearance is an understatement. When she finds her voice again, she starts stuttering, which I have _never_ heard her do before. Elena introduces herself, which makes Lexi introduce herself as 'a friend of Stefan's'. From the look on Elena's face, that phrasing doesn't sit well with her. I'll admit, combining those words with the towel Lexi's wearing and the fact that Lexi just mentioned that Stefan's in the shower, and it's pretty easy to mistakenly conclude that Lexi and Stefan are friends with benefits.

I get to my feet and start walking over when Lexi's telling Elena that Stefan will be out in a moment. "Actually, I'm here to see Damon," Elena admits.

I chuckle at the confused look on Lexi's face. "Alexia Branson, you have my relationship with Elena all wrong," I tell her. "She and I are _just_ friends. Stefan's been busy with football practice and Elena's girlfriends have been busy with other things, so I offered to help her study for midterms."

"I'll let you get to it, then," Lexi says, turning around and making her way back upstairs to confront my brother.

Elena turns to me with a sigh. "Is she …?" she starts but stops herself, obviously remembering what I told her about vampire senses.

I shake my head. "No," I say, knowing what she wanted to ask. "St. Stefan and I have known Lexi since we were newborn vampires. They are just really good friends."

"What about you and Lexi?" she asks.

"Ah, you see, I _kinda_ did something mean to her in the seventies that she has yet to forgive me for," I admit. Elena crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Let's just say I had my humanity switch off, Stefan sent her to get me to turn it back on. I got annoyed by her methods. So I tricked her to spending a night on a rooftop in New York with me. While she slept, I locked the door leading from the rooftop into the building. Lexi doesn't have any daylight jewelry to protect her from the sun so she spent the day stuck in this _really_ small patch of shadow while I left New York behind."

"You are an _ass,"_ Elena says, her voice loaded with disbelief. "I can't believe you did that!"

I shrug. "Yeah, well, I did and she's not going to let me forget it anytime soon," I say.

"So why is she here now?" Elena asks.

I arch an eyebrow. "Stefan didn't tell you what _day_ tomorrow is?" I ask curiously.

"Why? Is it important?" she asks.

"It's _only_ the one-hundred-sixty-second anniversary of the day he was born," I say wryly.

"Really? He never said a word," Elena says.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," I say, shrugging. "Celebrations, even birthday celebrations, do not fit with his whole Emo persona. C'mon, let's hit the books. You did come over here to study after all."

"I did," she sighs.

As Elena follows me to the sitting arrangement in the living room, I listen in as Lexi tears into Stefan about how remarkable the resemblance between Elena and Katherine is and how he goes all sappy denying any resemblance in their personalities. Lexi then realizes Stefan's 'in love' with Elena. I snort.

"What?" Elena asks.

I tap my ear before pointing in the direction of Stefan's room. "What did I tell you about vampire senses?" I ask, taking a seat on the couch I had been reclining on when Elena arrived.

"You can hear them talking?" Elena asks, sitting next to me. I nod. "Can they hear us?" she asks, frowning.

"Yep," I reply, popping the 'P'.

"That's creepy," Elena says.

I shrug. "Sure, they can hear us, but they aren't really paying too much attention to the words coming from our lips because they're having their own conversation," I tell her. "Get out your chemistry book, Elena. Your questions can wait until after we've finished our study session."

Elena takes a deep breath to settle her nerves and digs out her chemistry textbook. "Stefan confronted me today about our hanging out," she says, passing the book to me.

"Oh?" I ask, taking the book and turning to the section she was having a hard time with the past two nights. "How'd it go?"

"He was _very_ jealous," she admits. "He was like a terrier with a bone, going on and on about how I can't trust you. He makes you out to be evil incarnate."

"And what's your opinion of me?" I ask, refusing to let her see just how much her answer means to me.

"I think that somewhere along the way, you hid your true self from the world," she admits. I glance at her curiously. "I think there's still a good man inside of you, buried beneath all the layers of defense you built around yourself. I think you just need someone who won't give up on bringing out that good man, no matter what you do to shake them."

"And what? You've decided to be the one to do that?" I ask.

"If not me, then who?" she asks. "Stefan refuses to believe there's even a trace of good left in you. You admitted to alienating Lexi. No one else is in the know. If I don't try to bring out the good I can see is still inside of you, who will?"

I cross my arms and cock my head to the side. "What makes you so _sure_ there's good in me? What makes you sure that I'm not just using you, too?" I ask curiously.

She shrugs, averting her gaze. "To be honest, all I'm going on is what my instincts are telling me. Every time you enter a room I'm in or I enter a room you're in, I find my whole body relaxing, as if a weight had been lifted from my back. All my life I've felt like I had to constantly be on alert, constantly keeping an eye on my surroundings. When I'm in the same room as you, I don't feel the need to be so aware of what's going on around me because something deep inside of me tells me that you're doing that for me, even if I can't see you."

"Do remember, Elena, Lexi and Stefan can hear every word you speak," I cut in as I realize that neither Stefan nor Lexi has said a word since Elena and I have started this little discussion about her opinion of me. That means they are listening to us. "I'll tell you right now they are listening in. Don't say something you don't want publicized."

"Ass," Lexi hisses at me from Stefan's room.

Elena nods to show she understands the message I'm trying to get across: 'if you don't want Stefan to find out, don't say it now'. "I did what I could to make it clear to Stefan at school today that I refuse to give up on bringing out the good man you have hidden behind a monstrous personality. He won't tell my why he gets so damn jealous every time I talk to a guy. He won't tell me why that jealousy cranks up to the max when I talk to you. He won't trust me even though I've placed my trust in him," she says, despair lacing her words. "What can be so horrible about what he's hiding from me?"

"You'd be surprised," I say cryptically, turning my attention to her chemistry book. "Anyways, time to study. I am _determined_ to find a way to help you memorize this chemistry formula you're having so much trouble with."

Elena groans, knowing that I've closed the door on the subject. We settle into our study routine. At around seven-thirty, I set the textbook to the side. "C'mon, I'll cook us something to eat," I tell her, getting to my feet. I hold my hand out to her. "Maybe a bit of food in your stomach will help you figure it out."

She sighs. "I doubt it," she says honestly, taking my hand and letting me pull her to her feet. I release her hand and lead her into the kitchen. "I just don't get why that formula is so important in the bigger picture. And because of that, I think my brain automatically tunes out when people try to explain it to me. It's not like I'm ever going to get a job that requires this kind of knowledge. I don't plan on being some great scientific genius."

"Chemistry is used in a lot of things you do every single day and you don't even realize it," I tell her.

"Like what?"

"Cooking, for example," I say. "You have to measure the right ingredients to make the dish you want to prepare. That's a lot like measuring the right chemicals to make a certain potion or compound. If you make a mistake and use salt instead of sugar, your sugar cookies are completely ruined. If you make a similar mistake in chemistry, you could cause a small explosion." I turn my attention to discerning what supplies I have to work with.

"Only vampires live here, why is there human food?" Elena asks.

"I told you yesterday, cooking is a passion I got from my mother," I reply. "To cook, you need the ingredients for human food. You up for a Mexican-style stir fry accompanied by a salad?"

"Sure," she says. "Can I help?"

I smirk as I get out the supplies. "Sure. You're on salad duty," I say, setting the supplies for the salad on the island counter. "I've got a special recipe for the stir-fry I've been meaning to get a taste tester for. _I_ like it but that doesn't mean anything."

"What about Stefan?" Elena asks.

I roll my eyes as I carry the supplies for the stir-fry to the main counter. "You know how much Stefan hates me. He's gone so far as to swear I'd use it as an opportunity to poison him," I tell her.

"You didn't!" Lexi protests from Stefan's room.

"It was only the one time," Stefan confesses to her. I hear the sharp _slap_ of skin hitting skin. "Ow!"

"Now _you're_ the ass," Lexi tells him.

"You're grinning," Elena says accusingly.

I chuckle, bringing my attention back to the kitchen. "They're still listening in," I confess in a stage whisper. I glance at her. "Yeah, careful with that knife, Elena," I warn. "It would be _really_ bad if you cut yourself here."

She rolls her eyes at me and continues slicing tomatoes. "So you've said," she says. "But nobody will tell me _why."_

"Not my secret to share," I remind her as I dice the peppers going into the stir fry.

Suddenly, the scent of fresh human blood floods my nose. "Ow," Elena says.

I am next to her in an instant. "Let's get that taken care of," I say. "Lexi!" I yell up to her.

"He's not going anywhere, Damon. I got him," Lexi calls back.

I turn my attention to Elena's left hand and examine the bleeding scrape on the side of her thumb. "I thought I told you to be careful with that knife," I tell her, tugging her to the sink by her wrist. I turn on the heavily filtered water and stick Elena's thumb under it.

"I get clumsy when I get frustrated," she says tersely.

"Yeah, well, that just means you have to be even more careful," I tell her, watching the water turn pink as it washes over her cut. I then pull her hand out from under the water and examine the cut. "It's just a nick," I say after a moment. "But just to be safe, let's get some antiseptic and a bandage on it." I reach up into the cupboards over the sink and pull out the first aid kit kept there. "Good to go," I tell her less than a minute later as I return the first aid kit to where it belongs.

"Why does a house belonging to vampires have a first aid kit?" Elena asks.

"There are several of them tucked away in various locations, to be honest," I tell her. "You seem to have forgotten that for the longest time, Stefan and I had living relatives who stayed here to keep this place open to friendly vamps only."

"Yeah, what happened to Zack anyways?" Elena asks.

I glance at her in surprise as I return to my workstation. "Stefan didn't tell you?" I ask.

"Stefan doesn't tell me very much, to be honest," Elena says, just a hint of frost in her tone.

I shake my head. "If you can't be honest with your significant other, who _can_ you be honest with?" I ask rhetorically as I pick up the knife I had discarded to tend to Elena's cut. I pick up the onion I had been about to dice when Elena had cut herself and get back to work.

"Just answer the question," Elena says impatiently as she returns to fixing the salad.

"Let's see, you yelled at me for the bites on Caroline the night of the founder's party," I say. "I was pretty peeved that she had blabbed, however inadvertently it was. So I took her out to a quiet place in the garden to drain the life from her. Only Stefan had spiked the champagne she had drunk with vervaine. I was weakened enough for Stefan to overpower me and lock me up in a vampire holding cell in the basement with every intention on desiccating me for the next fifty years." Another _smack_ rings out from upstairs. Cue Stefan to complain about me deserving it. "Took me three-and-a-half days to get free. I snapped Zack's neck for his role in my imprisonment. Stefan had taken my ring so I couldn't go out until night. So I had to drain the life of my crow to tide me over until nightfall."

"That's when you found Vicki and her friends," Elena realizes.

"Yep," I say, going to the larder to dig out a large bag of Mexican rice I keep there. I frown when I see it's emptier than it was the last time I put it away. "Okay, who's been in my Mexican rice?" I call upstairs.

"Guilty," Lexi calls back.

"Lexi!" I protest. "You could have asked!"

"Stefan told me to make myself at home. So I did," she shoots back.

I roll my eyes while shaking my head. I take the rice to the where I had left the other supplies for the stir-fry. "Salad's ready," Elena says.

"Plastic wrap is in the bottom drawer next to the sink. Cover the salad bowl with some and stick it in the fridge wherever you can find a place. The stir-fry still has a bit more prep work that needs to be done before I can start cooking it," I tell her.

Elena immediately obeys me. "What's in those bowls?" she asks, having obviously noticed the opaque plastic containers Stefan stores stuff in.

"Personally, I prefer _not_ knowing," I admit. "They belong to Stefan and I don't ask for too many details when it comes to what he puts in his mouth."

"Oh," Elena says. I glance at her in time to see her turn a shade or two paler as she catches on to what I'm implying. "I think I'd rather stay in the dark as well."

"Wise choice," I tell her, returning to my work. "So, anything _interesting_ happen between you going home yesterday and coming here today?"

"Actually, something a little unusual _did_ happen today," she admits.

"Do tell," I invite.

"My Drama teacher, Casey, the one I told you about two nights ago?" she says.

"What about her?" I ask.

"I overheard her muttering to herself. That's nothing unusual. She's a bit eccentric and does that a lot, particularly when she's writing in this little black book she carries constantly. But what was unusual was _what_ she was saying," Elena says.

"Don't draw out the suspense, Elena," I tell her wryly. "Tell me the good stuff."

"I couldn't make out everything she said, but there were six words that popped out at me," she says. "The first was 'Salvatores' followed closely by 'vampires'." I stop what I'm doing and turn to her, my attention fully captured. I sense that Stefan and Lexi have both focused their hearing entirely on us. "A bit more muttering followed that then 'Lockwoods' followed just as closely by 'werewolves'. Then 'Elena' followed by a couple words I couldn't catch then 'key'," Elena continues.

"Interesting," I say slowly. "Lexi, what do you know about werewolves?" I say, turning toward where Stefan and Lexi had vamped to the entrance of the kitchen.

"I know that the werewolf bloodlines were hunted nearly to extinction by vampires because their bite is venomous and that venom is said to kill vampires after suffering severe agony coupled with the onset of insanity," she replies, crossing her arms. She turns to Elena. "You sure you heard her correctly?" she asks.

"She had stopped in the middle of the hall just a few steps in front of me to write in that little book she carries while she talked to herself," Elena says. "No one really ever pays attention when she does that. Most of the town thinks that her devotion to the fine arts is slowly driving her insane. The only reason I paid any attention was because I heard her say 'Salvatores'. I would have figured she had just been commenting to herself about the brothers' arrival, since the whole school is still talking about it. But then I heard 'vampires', which really grabbed my attention. I didn't dare get closer to try to discern exactly what she was saying. Whenever she's seen in the halls or on the street, people tend to give her a wide berth. I figured that if I got closer, I could possibly alert her that I was trying to listen in to what she was saying. But after I heard the word 'key', she snapped her book shut and continued on her way. I'm sorry I couldn't make out anything more."

"It's okay, Elena," Stefan says, ever the reassuring boyfriend. "What you heard was important."

I meet Stefan's eyes. "Someone's going to have to have a chat with the Drama teacher, find out what she knows," I tell him seriously. He nods, his expression impassive. "Can't be you. You're supposed to be a student."

"Don't kill her, Damon," Elena says seriously.

I glance at her. "If everyone thinks she's crazy like you say they do, I'm pretty sure she's safe to leave alive," I reassure her. "Besides, I'm going to take you with me when I go confront her." I turn back to the preparations for the stir-fry.

"What? Damon," Stefan starts to protest.

I glance at him. "Stefan, relax. Teacher might be more willing to open up if Elena's there," I tell him before turning my attention back to the stir-fry preparations.

About forty-five minutes later, Elena and I are seated at the antique dining table in the formal dining room, digging into the salad and stir-fry. Stefan and Lexi had gone back upstairs. "When are we going to see Casey?" Elena asks.

"Tomorrow, during the day," I say.

"But you said –" she starts.

"Elena, I haven't celebrated Stefan's birthday with him in more than a century," I say, my voice laced with my exasperation. "It's highly unlikely that I'll start back up anytime soon. Besides, Lexi wants to spend the day with him. She's stuck indoors during the day. She and I have this thing where one of us is always pissing off the other if we spend too much time together, so I'm going to be out and about during the day so I don't get my ass handed to me by a vampiress who's more than twice my age. _You_ already agreed to hang out with me tomorrow. You can spend tomorrow evening with your darling boyfriend."

She sighs and looks down at her food. "Lexi's twice your age?" she asks.

"I'm going to be a hundred-seventy next summer, Lexi's nearly three-fifty," I tell her.

"A hundred and _seventy?"_ Elena asks, surprised.

"Only in relation to the day I was born as a human," I say, shrugging. "I was immortalized at twenty-four." Elena shakes her head in disbelief. "Relax, I'm not any different than I was before you found out my age," I tell her. "Eat up. Your stir-fry is getting cold."

She sighs and obediently digs into her food. "You're right," she says after a few bites. "I don't know _why_ it hit me like such a shock."

"It's because I still _look_ twenty-four," I tell her. "Getting my physical age to align with my actual age could be a little mind-boggling even for someone in the know. Comes with being an unaging vampire."

She nods. "That's probably it," she agrees. "This stir-fry is delicious," she adds, taking another bite of it.

"Thank you," I say, smirking. "I got the recipe the one time I visited New Orleans."

After we've finished our meal and cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, we return to the living room to continue our study session. It takes a couple more hours for Elena to finally get a hang of the chemistry problem that she's been having trouble with. We then move on to history followed by the rest of her subjects, save for Drama.

Once we close the last textbook for the night, I glance at my watch. "It's nearly ten," I tell Elena. "Jenna set the same curfew as the past few nights?"

She nods as she stuffs her books back in her backpack. "Yep, which means I should get going," she says. "Thanks for the help."

"I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning so we can go see what's up with the teacher," I tell her.

"I'll set my alarm," she replies. "G'nite."

"Goodnight, Elena," I reply, watching as she makes her way out of the boarding house.

As soon as Elena's car turns onto the road passing the boarding house, Stefan 'appears' in the room. "What are your intentions with Elena?" he demands.

"That, brother, is none of your concern," I tell him, standing up and going to the alcohol cart to pour myself a glass of bourbon.

Stefan vamps in front of me, cutting me off. "Not to sound like a jealous boyfriend," he starts.

"Don't worry, you already do," I assure him.

"1864 will not be repeated where Elena is concerned, Damon," Stefan says.

I turn to him and cross my arms. "You're right, it won't be," I agree. He starts to relax. "Elena is not Katherine. _Elena_ will make a choice in the end. And _I_ don't intend on sharing." He lunges for me but I dodge. "Ah, ah, Stefan," I say. "Don't be obvious. Even if you do go and blab to her that I'm trying to steal her from you, she won't believe you. I've been the perfect gentleman while we hung out."

"You two are going to both scare her off if you keep this up," Lexi says from the stairs. "Be respectful of _her_ right to choose. After all, that _is_ why she's wearing vervaine, right? So that everything she does is because _she_ chose to do it and neither of you compelled her? Respect her enough to allow her the chance to choose then _respect_ that choice."

"That's right, Stefan," I tell him. "Don't be a control freak."

As I turn toward the alcohol cart again, Lexi 'appears' before me. "That goes for you, too, Damon," she admonishes.

"I respect Elena enough to accept her choices," I say firmly. "I'm just letting her know she has options."

Lexi studies me for a moment before nodding and stepping to the side. I fix myself a glass of bourbon and take a sip. Now that these two know my goal, it's only a matter of time before Elena finds out and believes the source. That only ups the ante. Now how to get her to drop by the boarding house on her own to snoop around Stefan's room and discover all the secrets he is keeping from her? I'm going to have to think on that one.


End file.
